


What You Mean to Me

by captainamergirl



Category: General Hospital, The Young and the Restless
Genre: Crossover, F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 08:50:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12931794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainamergirl/pseuds/captainamergirl
Summary: Heather Stevens watched her boyfriend Chance die before her very eyes. She watched new Genoa City transport, Dr. Matt Hunter, pronounce him dead at the scene. She watched her life slowly spinning out of control as she soon realized that she was pregnant with Chance's baby and all alone. Matt, who was oddly intrigued by the pretty DA, stepped in to try to pull her from her deep funk and help her focus on her baby. They bonded; they fell deeply in love; they planned to raise her little boy together and then Chance returned very much alive and Heather knew Matt had some explaining to do.





	What You Mean to Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is pretty AU of course. Enjoy! I wrote it as a challenge for another site and won first place so hopefully that means its worth a read (and review lol).

Tears tracked down her face as she looked at the little baby asleep in her arms. A mere five hours ago she had gone into early term labor but fortunately, while everything else was screwed up as hell, her little boy was just fine as she had been reassured again and again. She didn't even know what to call him though. Philip Chancellor V seemed appropriate, especially now that the boy's natural father was back in the picture. In fact seeing him walk into her wedding and stop it well, dead in its tracks, is what had sent her into labor in the first place. It had been so surprising and as she came close to collapsing in pain from the shock of it all, she had glanced at her would-be husband, saw the guilty, ashamed look on his face and knew he was responsible for this somehow. How could he have pronounced Chance dead and then romanced her all the while knowing her baby's father was very much alive and out there somewhere, on the run like a hunted animal.  
  
Right before Heather had passed out from the pain and horror of it all, she saw Matt mouth the words "I'm sorry" to her. Those silently mouthed words mocked her now that she was awake and even while holding her slumbering little boy. He was sorry? Yeah right. Yeah freaking right. He could never make up for something like this, not in her mind anyway.  
  
_Can't blame you, for thinking,  
That you never really knew me at all.  
I tried to, deny you,  
But nothing ever made me feel so wrong.  
I thought I was protecting you, from everything that I go through,  
but I know that we got lost along the way._  
  
Tears continued to drip down her face and she had to keep jostling the baby lightly in her arms so she could wipe them away before they fell on the little infant with hair and eyes just like Chance's. She loved this little baby already and she knew now it was the two of them against the world because it seemed Chance had only come home to meet his baby for a few days and then he'd be off into the great wide wonder again. And as far as Heather was concerned, her and Matt were definitely over and had been the minute he lied to her. She never should have trusted him. Her first impression of him was that he was an unrepentant jerk up to no good and she had been proven right.  
  
Too bad she had already fallen in love with him by then.  
  
XoXoXo  
  
Matt Hunter continued pacing outside the door of Heather's room. He wanted to get inside of there so desperately and try to make her see that none of this had ever been part of his plans. Falling in love with her had not been part of his plans. Definitely not because Matt Hunter stopped loving people a long time before Heather stole into his heart like the proverbial thief in the night.  
  
_Just know that I'm sorry, I never wanted to make you feel so small.  
A story is just beginning but let the truth break down these walls, oh yeah  
And every time I think of you,  
I think of how you pushed me through  
and showed me how much better I could be._  
  
He remembered the heartbreak and shock and outright horror on her face when she saw Chance come through those church doors. When she had turned to Matt, he saw in her tear-filled eyes that she had realized that he must have known about this somehow. After all, he had been the one to pronounce Chance dead at the scene of the crime. She had grieved for Chance for months and he had been her shoulder to cry on and he could only imagine how betrayed and disgusted she must feel now. She probably thought she had been sleeping with the enemy and the saddest part was, she was probably right.  
  
He sighed as he noticed the chief of staff Oliver Winters moving over to him. "I thought I asked you to leave the premises for at least the rest of the day," she said. "You know if Heather sees you right now, you could jeopardize her recovery from a very difficult birth."  
  
Matt nodded. "Yeah I know what you asked. But dammit, she needs me. She may not know it but she does."  
  
Olivia shook her head. "No, Matt, she doesn't," Olivia said. "She has someone already and there he is."  
  
Matt looked up and sneered as Chance walked down the hallway towards them, his dog tags swinging back and forth rhythmically around his neck as he moved. Matt had the strongest urge to hit Chance. "So that's it, huh? You leave for almost eight months and then you still get the girl?" Matt asked bitterly.  
  
Chance shook his head. "I really didn't come here to fight. I came to see my son. Let me see him before I am reassigned again, okay? Then Heather's all yours."  
  
"She's not mine anymore," Matt said. "If you could have at least had the fucking decency to let me you know were coming back first, maybe I could have tried to prepare her. Instead you selfishly walked into our wedding, destroyed it, and then still get to play the hero."  
  
Chance sighed and came to a stop in front of Matt. "I'm not your enemy here. The men who came after me and would have really killed me are. Just tell Heather why you did what you did and she will learn to understand why what happened, happened."  
  
"She doesn't have to learn to understand anything, Chance," Matt thundered. "She feels betrayed and she will never forgive me. All because of you!" Matt had never been so angry before. Maybe the anger was misdirected but he didn't care. Chance got to play the wounded hero who had bravely taken a fake bullet for the better cause while Matt got to be the pathetic lying betrayer. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fucking fair.  
  
Without thinking, he shot out his fist and smashed it hard into Chance's jaw. The taller, heartier man reeled but didn't topple. Soon there was a fight brewing in the hallway as Chance tried to protect himself from Matt's angry blows born of his own guilt, shame and devastation. Chance finally punched Matt hard across the face, knocking the other man to the ground to get him to back off. Still Matt went to swing back at him but then hospital security was coming running at Olivia's beck and call.  
  
"I'm not your enemy, Hunter," Chance said and then slipped into Heather's room as Matt was dragged from the premises.  
  
XoXoXo  
  
Heather had heard the commotion outside her room and knew somehow Matt was responsible. He had always seemed so cool under pressure and now he was losing it over this situation. In that regard, Heather didn't blame him. She was losing it over this too. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure this nightmare was all real but she couldn't with the baby still resting in her arms. Even though he too had heard the commotion and was awake now looking around nervously.  
  
Heather's fears about a fight started by Matt were confirmed as Chance walked into the room, his nose dripping blood and his chin and eye already turning black and blue. "Oh god," Heather moaned. "Chance ..."  
  
Chance shook his head. "It's alright," he said. "I was in Iraq. This was a cakewalk prepared to that."  
  
Heather nodded. "Yeah well Matt still shouldn't have done it. He shouldn't have done any of the things he did."  
  
Chance didn't answer right away as Heather watched him move over to the sink in her room and pull down a paper towel from the dispenser and begin scrubbing away at the blood around his nose. When he turned back around, he looked almost normal again. "It's not his fault, Heather," Chance said and moved over to her, reaching for her hand. He gave it a squeeze and then leaned over and kissed her cheek before looking at his son.  
  
"He's perfect. The baby I mean," he said with a little wink in Heather's direction. For a moment Heather remembered why she had fallen for him in the first place but she would be lying to herself if she said he still evoked in her the feelings that he used to. She would be lying still more if she said she had ever felt as strongly about anyone as she still felt about Matt Hunter. Damn him.  
  
She just sighed and looked up at Chance. "You should hold him."  
  
"Can I?" Chance asked, looking awed by the opportunity.  
  
"Of course. You're his father," Heather said and slowly passed the little infant to Chance who tucked the little guy against his strong chest protectively.  
  
Chance slowly rocked the baby back and forth, back and forth as Heather watched and more tears worked down her face. She couldn't really control her crazed emotions right now. She didn't know exactly how she was supposed to feel about all of this.  
  
"Matt will help you take good care of him when I'm gone," Chance finally said.  
  
Heather did a double take. "Chance, I knew there was a ... well, chance you'd be relocated but surely you can arrange something-"  
  
"I can't. Even being here puts you and this little guy at risk. I am going deep under cover soon anyway and I only came when I heard from my superior that you were pregnant because I just wanted to see him once."  
  
"Chance, no!" Heather cried. "Our son needs his father."  
  
"And he'll have Matt," Chance said. "Look at me, okay? I may have come into the world thanks to Philip but my mom raised me with Ryan McNeill and because of him, I've had a really good life. There are more ways than one to be a father, I've come to find out."  
  
"Chance, how can you want Matt anywhere around our son when he lied like this?"  
  
"Well he can explain it better than I can, Heather. But he didn't do any of this to hurt you. Not at all. I don't think you were part of his plan."  
  
"What was his plan then?" Heather asked bitterly.  
  
"To keep everyone safe," Chance replied. "He had to do what he did because it was his job."  
  
"He's a doctor."  
  
"There's more to him than meets the eye."  
  
Heather sniffed. "So I'm learning."  
  
"I don't mean that in a bad way."  
  
"How can you keep defending him? He let me believe you were dead, that our son was going to grow up fatherless..."  
  
"Before I came back, you were ready to raise this little boy with Matt, right?" Chance asked and Heather nodded though reluctantly.  
  
"Yeah ..."  
  
"So this boy wasn't going to grow up without a father. He would have Matt and so would you. And as much as I didn't like being assaulted by him right now, I understood it. You and this little one are worth fighting for every time which is why I am going back undercover. To keep the world safe for you two, as cliché as that may sound."  
  
"I can't change your mind, can I?"  
  
Chance shook his head and kissed the little baby and then passed him back to Heather. "Just take care of yourself, okay? Knowing you and the baby are alright will ease my mind about this a lot."  
  
"You really are a hero."  
  
"Thanks. But so is Matt in all of this believe it or not. Give him a ... chance," Chance said with a little smile. He then kissed Heather's forehead one more time and headed to the door.  
  
He turned back to ask. "What are you going to call him?"  
  
Heather smiled. "Philip the Fifth."  
  
Chance smiled back. "I like it ... Thanks. And take care."  
  
"You too, Chance. God bless," Heather said and then Chance was gone once again. This time she knew he would stay gone. Forever.  
  
XoXoXo  
  
Paul brought his daughter and grandson home two days later. He helped Heather carry the baby into the house and then looked over at her. "You want me to stay and look after the baby while you sleep? You look exhausted."  
  
Heather smiled a little. "It's alright. You've done so much, Paul ... Dad," she amended and he smiled widely. She had never called him that before but she knew it was time that things changed. Grudges shouldn't carry on forever. Not this one anyway. Not even the one she had with Matt should last inevitably. She wanted to call him but she wasn't sure if she should.  
  
Paul handed her baby Philip and kissed her cheek. "You should call him," Paul said as if reading her mind. Paul hadn't been fond of Matt initially anymore than Heather had been but the young man had grown on Paul as he had seen Matt's devotion to his daughter.  
  
"Dad, I want to but ..."  
  
"You want to, so do it, Heather," he said. "I think it's the right thing to do."  
  
"Dad, he lied. He lied through his pearly white teeth."  
  
"Well from all I'm hearing, he had his reasons and before you throw him out with the bath water, you should at least hear him out."  
  
Heather nodded and Paul kissed her and his grandson goodbye and then was gone. Heather looked around at the empty house and lightly settled the baby into his basinett before slowly turning around and picking up the phone.  
  
XoXoXo  
  
Matt arrived within twenty minutes of her calling him. As Heather opened the door, she saw he was carrying a little fake plastic Christmas tree of all things. "What is that?" she asked, unable to help but smile a little.  
  
"The reason I'm late," Matt said. "Do you know how hard it is to find a Christmas tree in August?"  
  
Heather shook her head. "I have no idea what you're doing with that but ... come in, I guess."  
  
Matt nodded and he smiled widely at her though she could see uncertainly in his eyes that must have mirrored her own. He slipped past her as she closed the door and he set the Christmas tree on the coffee table. He then moved over to the baby who was sleeping again and smiled. "He's perfect. I mean, I've always found baby's really plain and too similar looking but he's ... he's something special."  
  
Heather smiled a little. "Thank you. He looks like Chance really."  
  
Matt nodded. "About that ..."  
  
"Yeah, it's the elephant in the room, huh?" she mused as she moved over to the sofa and took a seat on the furthest cushion.  
  
"I can try to explain everything if you'll let me."  
  
"Well you're here aren't you?" Heather said. "Explain and explain good or I reserve the right to toss you out on your ass."  
  
Matt smiled that too-perfect smile of his. "That's fair."  
  
"Good. So start talking."  
  
"Well where do I start?" Matt mused aloud. "I guess I should tell you that I'm not just any regular country doctor..."  
  
"That much is obvious," Heather said wryly.  
  
"I work for the government, Heather. Or more accurately a sort of secret organization called the WSB. I was approached by the head of the organization after my girlfriend Lulu was shot down in cold blood by some mob thugs in my old hometown-"  
  
"Oh, Matt ..."  
  
"It's okay now... I wanted justice for Lulu's death but I knew I couldn't do it all myself so when the big guy behind the WSB - a man named Sean - came to me, I said yes. For the past three years, I've been all over the world assisting in cases like Chance's where we had to make the person disappear for their and their family's protection. I came to town a month before Chance's 'death' as you know because I needed to settle down here, establish a believable story for myself... But the whole time I knew ..."  
  
"Knew Chance was going to 'die'?" Heather said. "You knew ahead of time."  
  
"Yeah I did. And as soon as I was called into that warehouse to pronounce him dead, I was supposed to leave shortly after. But see that's where things changed. There was this gorgeous brunette with a broken heart and teary eyes standing in that warehouse too and I just knew I wanted to reach out to her. I didn't know why. I honestly stopped knowing how to care about anyone, truly care about anyone, after losing Lulu but ... That brunette, she was pretty persuasive."  
  
Heather sighed. "I never asked you to play my savior."  
  
"I never tried to. I just wanted to be your friend, Heather, honestly. I had no ulterior motives at first other than noticing that other than your dad, you seemed so alone. The way I had been for so long..." He paused and reached for her hand. "Heather, I didn't ever want to hurt you. Ever. I definitely didn't plan to fall head over heels for you or want a life with you and another man's baby but I did. I still do. You are the one variable I never counted on," he said. "If you believe nothing else, believe me when I say you mean the world to me."  
  
_Here I am  
with all my heart I hope you understand  
I know I let you down, but I'm never,  
Gonna make that mistake again.  
You brought me closer to who I really am  
Come take my hand  
I want the world to see  
What you mean to me yeah  
You make me feel like I'm myself  
Instead of being someone else  
I wanna live that every day  
  
You say what no one else will say  
you know exactly how to get to me you  
Know it's what I need  
It's what I need, yeah_  
  
"Matt ..."  
  
"I know it will take time to earn back that trust that I willingly broke but, Heather, you're everything to me. I thought I loved Lulu; I did but you ... you're the one. _Always._ My brother Patrick will be so devastated that I fell in love with someone and stopped playing the field but well, thems the brakes." He said with a little smile.  
  
"You have a brother named Patrick?" Heather said. "One more thing I didn't know about you."  
  
"There's time to learn it all, Heather," Matt said. "The good, the bad, and the really ugly. But I will be open with you from now on... Just please say I haven't ruined everything because I love you. You and your son are my world."  
  
Heather sighed. "It will definitely take time to trust you again but ... I can try, Matt, because the truth is you mean so much to me too. You and baby Phil are my world. The truth is I love you. I wanted to marry you because I loved you."  
  
Matt smiled. "I feel exactly the same." He paused and then grinned wider. "And now I know it's presumptuous to even ask this, but can we seal our new future with a kiss?"  
  
Heather smiled. "Only if you tell me the significance of the Christmas tree."  
  
"Well we talked once about how we were going to make new traditions together, for us and the baby-"  
  
"Our first tradition is a fake Christmas tree in August?"  
  
"We are a quirky pair. What can I say?"  
  
"Preferably nothing," Heather said with a new twinkle in her eyes. "Just hold me, okay?"  
  
"I can definitely do that," Matt agreed and he scooted over to her on the couch and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her lightly and she smiled.  
  
She now knew the truth and wouldn't doubt Matt ever again. She now believed without a doubt that he loved her and her new son and nothing would ever change that.  
  
_Instead of being someone else_  
 _I wanna live that every day_  
 _You say what no one else will say_  
 _you know exactly how to get to me you_  
_Know It's what I need_  
 _It's what I need yeah_  
  
_Here I am with_  
 _All my heart I hope you_  
 _Understand (I hope you understand) I know I let_  
 _You down but I'm never_  
 _Gonna make that mistake_  
 _Again you brought me_  
 _Closer to who I really am_  
 _So come take my hand_  
 _I want the world to see_  
 _What you mean to me_  
 _What you mean to me_  
  
**FINIS**


End file.
